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Senegal Second Round Open Thread [Updated: Sall Wins]

Today Senegal holds the second round of its presidential elections. The incumbent, President Abdoulaye Wade, faces challenger and former Prime Minister Macky Sall. Wade finished first in the first round in February, with approximately 35% of the vote, while Sall came in at second with around 27%. The other opposition candidates, as well as the country’s youth protest movements (to some extent), have rallied around Sall as a change candidate. If the numbers from the first round stay roughly the same, the combined percentages of the opposition candidates would give Sall more than enough support to defeat Wade. Most people I’ve talked with expect Sall to win.

3 thoughts on “Senegal Second Round Open Thread [Updated: Sall Wins]”

You’ve read the Al Jazeera English op-ed on the elections by a Canadian academic, which while supporting Macky Sall, accuses him of all kinds of things.

Macky Sall should be supported, insofar as he is clearly indicating a willingness to implement a number of changes to limit powers of the future president and to increase space for public political expression. Beyond that, people should be suspicious and vigilant.

The Al Jazeera article does have a point but the very fact that a fairly free campaign occurred, the incumbent didn’t (or didn’t manage to) rig polls and the incumbent conceded defeat are all very hopeful signs. We’ll see if Sall continues the trend.